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Will Donald Trump be able to vote in November after being found guilty in the ‘Hush Money’ case? Appeals process...
After being found guilty in the ‘Hush Money’ case, questions arise about whether Donald Trump will retain his right to vote in the November elections.
A jury has found former president Donald Trump guilty of the criminal case surrounding the falsification of business records to cover up a hush money payment paid during the 2016 presidential election. The thirty-four felony counts were each campaign finance violation that forbade campaign funds from being used in such a manner and concealed.
The tough-on-crime approach taken by both Democrats and Republicans across the country over the last fifty years has left stripped millions from casting a ballot. Those convicted of a felony have seen their rights to the vote returned through ballot measures and state legislation, but in Florida, many still struggle to exercise their right. Could Donald Trump, who has been convicted of a felony in a US District Court, face issues voting this November? Let’s take a look at the facts.
In 2018, a ballot measure in Florida changed state law to extend voting rights to those convicted of a felony. So, while in prison, one cannot vote, and the right is only returned once the sentence, any probation or parole have been served, and any fines or fees have been paid. The second qualification led to very tragic scenes where voters who believed their rights had been restored registered and voted, not knowing they still owed fines to the state. Videos of arrests circulated online, and the emotional scenes led many to see the flaws in how the ballot measure was written.
Will Trump be able to vote?
The situation is a bit more complicated for Trump because we do not know if he will face prison. However, he plans to appeal the court’s ruling even if he is given prison time. The Florida Assistant Attorney General, Patricia R. Gleason, clarified that “until the lower country’s judgment has been finally affirmed by the appellate courts,” the “conviction does not become final.”
The same applies to fines that must be paid for the rights to be returned. Meaning that Donald Trump might be protected by the notoriously long appeals process that plagues the US court system and not see his voting rights infringed this fall.